Dave Smith's message to fans

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This morning we held our Annual General Meeting and we’re delighted to share with you our 2013 Annual Report.

In it you will find some information about what we thought were some of our major successes for the year, as well as some insight into how we have responded to some of the challenges we’ve faced.

We’re committed to greater transparency across the game and you will see from our financial section just how we manage the game’s income.

Through strong and professional management, we have been able to deliver a surplus of $49.6 million for last year.

We’ve secured a great new broadcast deal and we’re delivering better results from our sponsorship, major game and merchandise activities.

All these funds are put back into the game, whether directly to the NRL Clubs and State Leagues, to the womens and juniors comps or it is invested for the future of the game.

The future is looking bright after an incredible 12 months for Rugby League in Australia.

On the field, the Kangaroos and Jillaroos both won their World Cups and we saw the Roosters take out one of the best grand finals in years.

The State of Origin just gets bigger and bigger, attracting record crowds and television ratings.

And we broke several attendance records during the premiership rounds, proving that the game is strong at every level.

This year we have new rules to make the game faster. We’re moving the focus to attracting new members. And we are linking with other sporting groups, such as Touch Football Australia, to encourage more participation.

Off the field we’ve faced some challenges... but through taking them on, and with stronger financial and governance platforms in place, we’re a much healthier business.

Rugby League is a big enterprise, so we need to think big and we’re doing the work to invest in the future of the game.